Understanding Basketball's Per Performance Metric

what is per in basketball

The Player Efficiency Rating (PER) is a statistical measure of a basketball player's per-minute productivity, developed by ESPN.com columnist John Hollinger. The system uses a detailed formula to rate a player's statistical performance, taking into account both positive and negative results, such as field goals, assists, steals, missed shots, and turnovers. The rating is then adjusted to a per-minute basis and for the pace of the game, allowing for comparisons between players with different amounts of playing time. While the league average PER is always 15.00, a great player will have a rating in the mid to high 20s.

Characteristics Values
Full Form Player Efficiency Rating
Developed By John Hollinger
Purpose Collect all of a player's contributions into one number
Calculation uPER = (1 / MP) * [ 3P + (2/3) * AST + (2 - factor * (team_AST / team_FG)) * FG + (FT *0.5 * (1 + (1 - (team_AST / team_FG)) + (2/3) * (team_AST / team_FG))) - VOP * TOV - VOP * DRB% * (FGA - FG) - VOP * 0.46 * (0.44 + (0.56 * DRB%)) * (FTA - FT) + VOP * (1 - DRB%) * (TRB - ORB) + VOP * DRB% * ORB + VOP * STL + VOP * DRB% * BLK - PF * ((lg_FT / lg_PF) - 0.44 * (lg_FTA / lg_PF) * VOP)]
League Average 15
Great Player Mid to high 20s
Poor Player Below 10
Highest Rating LeBron James' 27.34
Lowest Rating Stephen Graham's 4.41

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John Hollinger's player efficiency rating (PER)

PER is calculated on a per-minute basis, allowing for comparisons between players with different amounts of playing time. It is also adjusted for pace to account for differences in the number of possessions between teams. The league-average PER is always 15.00, permitting comparisons of player performance across seasons.

While PER is a widely accepted and used metric, Hollinger acknowledges that it is not a perfect evaluation of a player's accomplishments. One limitation is that it primarily measures offensive performance, and the two defensive statistics it incorporates (blocks and steals) may not accurately reflect a player's defensive impact. Additionally, PER may favour players who accumulate statistics due to their playing time and the pace of the game, rather than their actual contribution to winning.

Despite these limitations, PER provides a quantitative method for evaluating and comparing players' performances, and it has been adopted by NBA personnel when evaluating draft prospects.

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PER's formula

The Player Efficiency Rating (PER) is a rating of a basketball player's per-minute productivity, developed by John Hollinger. It attempts to summarise a player's statistical performance into a single number. The formula for PER is:

> uPER = ( 1 / MP ) * [ 3P + ( 2 / 3 ) * AST + ( 2 - factor * ( team_AST / team_FG ) ) * FG + ( FT * 0.5 * ( 1 + ( 1 - ( team_AST / team_FG ) ) + ( 2 / 3 ) * ( team_AST / team_FG ) ) ) - VOP * TOV - VOP * DRB% * ( FGA - FG ) - VOP * 0.44 * ( 0.44 + ( 0.56 * DRB% ) ) * ( FTA - FT ) + VOP * ( 1 - DRB% ) * ( TRB - ORB ) + VOP * DRB% * ORB + VOP * STL + VOP * DRB% * BLK - PF * ( ( lg_FT / lg_PF ) - 0.44 * ( lg_FTA / lg_PF ) * VOP ) ]

PER takes into account both positive and negative results. Positive results include field goals, free throws, 3-pointers, assists, rebounds, blocks and steals. Negative results include missed shots, turnovers and personal fouls. The formula adds the positive stats and subtracts the negative ones through a statistical point value system.

PER is a per-minute measure, which means that it allows for comparisons between players with disparities in their minutes played. For example, a substitute player with a high PER could be compared to a starter with a lower PER. It is also pace-adjusted, so players on slower-paced teams are not penalised for having fewer possessions. The league-average PER is always 15.00, which permits comparisons of player performance across seasons.

PER largely measures offensive performance. It incorporates two defensive statistics: blocks and steals. However, these may not translate to overall defensive impact and can produce a distorted picture of a player's value. PER also does not account for who the player is playing with or against, and it tends to favour volume regardless of efficiency.

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PER's limitations

The Player Efficiency Rating (PER) is a rating of a player's per-minute productivity, developed by ESPN.com columnist John Hollinger. It attempts to collect all of a player's contributions into a single number, measuring their per-minute performance while adjusting for pace.

However, despite its widespread use, PER has several limitations. Firstly, it primarily focuses on offensive performance, with only two defensive statistics incorporated: steals and blocks. These defensive stats do not necessarily translate to overall defensive impact, potentially producing a distorted picture of a player's defensive abilities. This makes PER unreliable for evaluating defensive specialists who may not accumulate many blocks or steals.

Secondly, PER gives weight to a player's contribution in limited minutes, which may undervalue players who play starter's minutes with diverse skills. It has also been criticised for rewarding inefficient shooting. Since the value of a player's PER increases the more they shoot, players can inflate their value by taking a large number of shots, even if they are inefficient scorers.

Additionally, PER does not account for the quality of a player's teammates or opponents. It also tends to favour volume over efficiency, as players with higher numbers of statistics in any category will generally receive a higher rating. This means that a player who accumulates many statistics on a losing team may receive a higher PER than a player who accumulates fewer statistics on a winning team, even if the latter player contributed more to their team's success.

Furthermore, PER is calculated using a detailed formula that includes various statistical categories. However, it does not capture any non-box score stats that may impact the game, potentially overlooking important factors that do not fall into the defined categories.

Finally, PER is not applicable to historical comparisons before the 1978 NBA season, as the league did not keep track of advanced statistics like turnovers before that year. This limits its ability to evaluate players from earlier eras of basketball.

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PER's application to college players

The player efficiency rating (PER) is a rating of a player's per-minute productivity. It was developed by John Hollinger to collect all of a player's contributions into one number. The rating is generated using a detailed formula that rates a player's statistical performance. This includes positive results such as field goals, free throws, 3-pointers, assists, rebounds, blocks, and steals, and negative results such as missed shots, turnovers, and personal fouls. The formula adds positive stats and subtracts negative ones through a statistical point value system.

PER is particularly useful for college coaches during the college recruiting process. Coaches often start the process by contacting a large group of athletes, which can number in the hundreds or thousands for bigger programs. They then slowly narrow down this list through evaluations, reviewing highlight videos, and contacting recruits. PER allows coaches to compare players' statistical accomplishments side-by-side, helping them to decide which players to pursue further.

PER is especially valuable when comparing players with a disparity in their minutes played. For example, a college coach may be deciding between two players, one who is a starter and one who is a substitute. PER takes into account the fact that the starter will have more opportunities to accumulate statistics. By adjusting for pace and measuring per-minute performance, PER allows coaches to compare players with different amounts of playing time on an even playing field.

However, it is important to note that PER is not a perfect evaluation of a player's accomplishments. This is especially true for defensive specialists who don't accumulate many blocks or steals. PER also tends to favor volume regardless of efficiency, meaning a player can be an inefficient scorer and simply inflate their value by taking a large number of shots. Therefore, while PER is a useful tool for college coaches during the recruiting process, it should not be the sole factor in evaluating a player's abilities.

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PER's top-ranked players

The Player Efficiency Rating (PER) is a rating of a player's per-minute productivity, developed by ESPN columnist John Hollinger. It uses a detailed formula to rate every player's statistical performance, taking into account positive and negative results. The PER formula adds positive stats and subtracts negative ones through a statistical point value system. A league-average PER is always 15.00, which permits comparisons of player performance across seasons.

PER is not the final evaluation of a player's accomplishments during the season, especially for defensive specialists who don't accumulate many blocks or steals. However, it is a useful tool to summarise a player's statistical accomplishments in a single number.

Some of the top-ranked players in terms of PER include:

  • LeBron James, who had a rating of 27.34 among players with at least 500 minutes in 2010-11.
  • Michael Jordan, who had four seasons with a PER of at least 30, tied with LeBron James for the highest number.
  • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who led the league in PER nine times.
  • Wilt Chamberlain, who led the league in PER eight times and is tied with MJ for most consecutive years (seven) leading the league.
  • Giannis Antetokounmpo, who established the single-season record for PER with a rating of 31.86 in the 2019-20 season.
  • David Robinson, whose career PER of 26.18 ranks fifth in NBA history.

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